The origin of “Wise Intent Therapy”

Whether in individual therapy, or therapy with couples/polycules, intent matters, for both clients coming to us and our practitioners. If the intent of therapy becomes, consciously or unconsciously, to treat the client as an “ill” person, that effects the work. If the client’s intent, consciously or unconsciously, is to not to be challenged or encouraged to move forward and to remain stuck in feelings of helplessness, that matters. Perhaps most common: If two members of a couple come to therapy with the intent of “winning” the argument, that matters. In our experience in different mental health settings, we’ve seen clients and therapists fall unconsciously into these patterns all too often, resulting in an initial sense of progress in therapy that quickly plateaus into stagnation. 

On the flipside, if the therapist’s intent is to help the client to discover their own innate power and healing, that matters. If the client’s intent is to truly change and awaken to a higher version of themself, that matters. If two individuals in a couple come to therapy with the intent to understand each other and be open to new patterns of relating and communicating, that matters.